Sharks Set Franchise Record With 3-2 Win Over Coyotes

With 7 games left in the season, the San Jose Sharks had one game in hand over the Detroit Red Wings for a shot at a two point lead in the league and Western Conference.  But they were facing a team that handed them a heartbreaking loss one week ago: the Phoenix Coyotes.  But in a game where most of the scoring came from the unlikeliest of skaters, the Sharks held on to win 3-2, setting a franchise record in points with 109, and taking a 2 point lead in the race for the President's Trophy.

After a first period with multiple turnovers and very few offensive chances, the game opened up offensively.  A little over two minutes into the second period, defenseman Kurt Sauer snapped a 109 game goal scoring drought after he pinched in behind San Jose's net, and quickly swung the puck past Evgeni Nabokov on a wrap-around shot to give the Coyotes the 1-0 lead.  But under a minute later, Jody Shelley scored his second career goal , blocking a clearing attempt with his body, then quickly shooting the puck under Ilya Bryzgalov's pads to tie the game 1-1.  Then just two minutes later, Devin Setoguchi threw a puck from the side boards towards the Phoenix net.  The pass hit Tom Cavanagh's stick, and deflected over Bryzgalov, who went down low to stop the initial shot by Setoguchi, and Cavanagh scored his first career National Hockey League goal and gave San Jose the 2-1 lead.  But Matthew Lombardi continued the scoring frenzy a minute later, taking advantage of a 2-on-1 break for the Coyotes.  He tried to pass the puck across the crease to Shane Doan, but Brad Lukowich brought his stick down to block.  That actually helped Lombardi, as Nabokov was playing the pass and the puck slid underneath his arm and the game was tied once again 2-2.  The offensive pace did not slow down, but the only goal to be scored after was on an early power play opportunity for the San Jose Sharks.  Joe Pavelski received a centering pass from Christian Ehrhoff, and wristed a hard shot past Bryzgalov on the far side to give the Sharks the game winning 3rd goal.

The win gives San Jose 49 on the regular season, and improved on the league's best home record, bringing it up to 31-3-4.  San Jose now holds a 2 point lead over Detroit for the league's highest point total, with both teams having 7 games remaining in the season.  The Phoenix Coyotes, who are last in the Pacific Division, are already out of the playoff picture, but continue to impact the postseason as they defeated Vancouver two nights ago.  The power play goal by San Jose extended their scoring streak with the man advantage to seven games in a row.  After losing the last two road games, Nabokov made 25 saves in the win.  The Sharks were mostly without their captain Patrick Marleau, as he left midway through the second period with an undisclosed injury and never returned from the locker room.  After the quick homestand, San Jose will head back on the road for a two game road trip, playing in Calgary on Monday night.